Granddaughter offers glimpse into Lynn Valley Day history
Thanks to our internet-connected world, a little piece of Lynn Valley history recently came to light.
Kim Wertenberger of Wapato, Washington, sent LynnValleyLife a photo of a much-cherished trophy that once belonged to her grandfather, Brian J. Ingoldsby. "I love it dearly and wanted to share it with you," wrote Kim, who had unsuccessfully tried to make contact with someone in Lynn Valley years ago. This time, her internet search found an appreciative audience in the LVLife editorial office.
The trophy was given to Mr. Ingoldsby for winning the "Mile Flat Race" in 1921, 22, and 23. The race was run at the first-ever Lynn Valley Day in 1912, and again in 1913, but there is a significant gap in the dates while World War One interrupted such idyllic pastimes. (For a first-hand account of another Lynn Valley man's experience of this period, see Walter Draycott's online chronicle of The Great War.) It must have been celebratory indeed when Mr. Ingoldsby won the race when it made its reappearance in 1921.
Says Kim: "I was told that qualified for the Olympics as a runner, but was spiked by another runner's shoe so couldn't participate. I'm not sure about the truth in that or even if I am remembering the story correctly...but he won this trophy three years in a row so he must have had some skill!"
However, Kim kindly did some family research at our request to come up with some known facts about Mr. Ingoldsby, who was born in November 1903 in Sydney, Australia. The family emigrated to Portland, Oregon, in 1907, and made their way to our province soon after, where her grandfather went to school in North Vancouver (distinguishing himself at the 1918 District Schools' Sports Day, according to an online source!)
After graduating from college he went on to post-grad studies in Seattle and earned a degree in Structural Engineering. During the Depression, he and his wife Anna moved back to BC where he took part in trapping and the fur trade to eke out a rough living. They eventually returned to the States and settled in Portland, where he worked for the Pope and Talbot Timber Co.

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Oct 16:30 PM - 8:30 PMRoyal Canadian Legion Branch 114, 1630 Lynn Valley Rd, North Vancouver, BC V7J 2B4, Canada
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